


Just a Touch of Your Love

by loveinslowmotion



Category: One Direction (Band), Taylor Swift - Fandom
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Sex, F/M, Haylor, Hook-Up, One Shot, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-06 21:46:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8770561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveinslowmotion/pseuds/loveinslowmotion
Summary: With an unexpected invitation to Taylor's birthday party, Harry discovers things haven't changed so much between them after all.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by [this](http://alltootay.tumblr.com/post/151239113255/can-you-write-about-taylor-having-a-big-birthday) anon! On an unimportant style note, I'd love to see Taylor in something like [this](http://cdn02.cdn.justjaredjr.com/wp-content/uploads/pictures/2016/07/hadid-vers/bella-hadid-joan-smalls-taylor-hill-versace-runway-paris-03.jpg) dress from the Versace A/W16 collection and I'm very keen to see what she actually wears on her birthday next week! But anyway, I hope you enjoy this xx

It was a not so typical Tuesday night when Harry was sitting in the back of a car next to a plant. Not a small one, either – he had a rose bush next to him that brushed against the roof of the car, a white ribbon tied in a bow around the muted pink pot it was currently growing in. There were only a couple of white roses currently in bloom, but with some TLC from a good owner it was sure to flourish, and the girl who was about to receive it was going to be the perfect person for just that.

“Please tell me you’re coming tonight,” the girl in question answered her phone enthusiastically, miraculous when she was in the middle of a party.

“You’ve got a shit tonne of cameras outside your place,” Harry laughed, having had his driver start doing a lap around her block after discovering just how many paps were hanging around outside her apartment. Hardly surprising: of course there were going to be people desperately trying to get the best shots of the lucky collective invited to Taylor Swift’s birthday party. How Harry had scored an invitation he was still totally clueless – it surely had to be a mistake, a slip of a send button that she hadn’t intended. But considering her excited, straight to the point greeting, she apparently _genuinely_ wanted him there.

“You’re not gonna bail on my party over some cameras, are you?” Taylor asked him, and he could hear the smile in her voice, not to mention the sound of the speakers turned up on the stereo and all the people chattering in the background.

“I’ve got something for you and it’s going to look really fucking weird walking in with it,” Harry explained with a smile of his own. It was an effect she had on him that he had never been able to shake, which perhaps wasn’t such a bad thing.

“Oh god,” she groaned, a laugh mixed into the end of it. “It’s not inappropriate, is it?”

“No,” he assured her, glancing at the plant beside him and reconsidering. “Well, maybe. Depends how you look at it.”

“Is there someone with you that could come and drop it off a bit after you come in?” she suggested helpfully. “I could meet you downstairs, if you want.”

“That’d be perfect, actually. I’ll text you when I get inside.”

“See you soon, babe!”

Their connection died and so did Harry. _‘Babe’?_ Um? _How_ long had it been since she had called him that? Long enough for his heart rate to double, apparently.

Their interactions were on and off. They didn’t talk consistently, only saw each other on the rare occasion they ended up attending the same event, yet things seemed completely normal when they were speaking to each other. It wasn’t uncomfortable or anything, not really. It was hard to argue that their friendship was difficult when it mostly involved congratulations on each other’s achievements, awful puns that they couldn’t pretend that they didn’t enjoy, and a bountiful of cat pictures Taylor couldn’t resist sharing. The only thing that bordered on awkward was that Harry might have, maybe, possibly, sort of still had lingering feelings for her. He was sure she was over it by now, having loved another man (who, by the way, wasn’t _nearly_ as right for her as he was, in his opinion), but it turned out Taylor was a hard woman to get over. Probably because she was so… _perfect._

The amount of camera flashes that went off when Harry stepped out of the car was ridiculous. He wondered why Taylor hadn’t chosen to host her birthday bash somewhere that would receive less attention than her New York apartment that was virtually impossible to go in and out of without being photographed, but each to their own. Ignoring the irrelevant comments that came out of strangers’ mouths, Harry made his way into the apartment block with as much poise as he could manage with that many cameras pointed at him. He pulled out his phone to message Taylor as soon as he was safely inside, found a spot in the foyer to wait where he couldn’t be seen by the congregation outside.

Minutes passed and Harry grew fidgety, shifting his weight between his feet. No one else had arrived in that time, which didn’t entirely help his effort to make it not so obvious that _he_ was the one who had gone all _romantic_ and bought her a _rose bush_ for her birthday. He could’ve gotten her anything, yet his genius idea had been to buy lasting white roses because he knew it was something she would genuinely adore. He wasn’t really _trying_ to romance her, only wanting to gift her something she would actually like, but if it happened to do so, then, well, he certainly wasn’t going to complain.

After what felt like an eternity, the elevator pinged and out stepped the glammed-up blonde everyone was there to see. She quickly spotted Harry and hurried over, her tall heels tapping on the hardwood floor.

_“Harryyyyyyy,”_ Taylor sang as she approached, her arms outstretched ready to throw around him as soon as she reached him. Her hug was tight and all too familiar, friendliness exuding and reminding Harry of just how lovely it was to be around her, feeling her touch and smelling her sweet perfume.  

“Happy birthday,” he wished her, hardly wanting to unwrap his arms from around her tiny waist but doing so obligingly when she started to pull back from him. “Have you been having a nice day?”

“It’s been great, thank you,” Taylor grinned at him, her excitement evident. “I’m so glad you came! It’s been forever.”

“It has, yeah,” he nodded. If she hadn’t invited him tonight, there was no telling when they would’ve seen each other next. It certainly wouldn’t have been at _his_ next birthday celebration.

“You look amazing in that, Tay,” Harry couldn’t help from complimenting honestly, a beam on his face as Taylor spun around on the spot for him.

“You think so?” she giggled almost flirtatiously, the detail of her luxe Versace dress falling back into place as she stood still again. In strapless black satin that showed off some thigh, she had the party couture look down, perfectly fitting the extravagance he was sure to find upstairs.

“I love it,” he nodded, and he might’ve been sceptical about using the ‘L’ word in front of her if it weren’t for the dazzling smile it brought to her face.

That was nothing compared to the look she gave when his driver finally appeared from around the corner with her present in his hands. Taylor’s jaw dropped and her blue eyes blew wide as soon as she turned her head and saw the charming rose bush, her hands shooting up to cover her mouth in her total surprise. Harry watched her reaction carefully, trying to gauge whether or not he had made the right decision.

He had. Taylor quickly attacked him with another hug, almost knocking him over as she lifted her feet up off the ground as she clung onto him tightly. “It’s gorgeous, Harry,” she gushed when she set her heels back on the floor after a little too long, keeping her arms around his neck as she grinned such a delighted smile at him. “You really didn’t have to get me anything, let alone _this._ ”

“They reminded me of you,” Harry told her, which had to be the cheesiest thing he could’ve said. He could see the warmth it brought her, and as she thanked him and planted an unexpected kiss on his cheek they were both noticeably stunned.

“Um, we should go upstairs,” Taylor recognised, hurriedly moving on from the surprising moment. They were yet to realise it wasn’t going to be the only one they shared tonight.

Harry kindly offered to carry her new plant for her as they took the elevator up to her floor, let Taylor take it into her bedroom for the night before she found a proper place to keep it.

His first instinct as soon as he was left alone was to search for someone he knew. True, he had no problem striking up a conversation with someone new, but at a party he didn’t feel like he entirely belonged at, some security in familiarity was much appreciated.

It was a blessing to find Ed hanging around in the kitchen; Harry knew he could count on him being here. Having weaved his way through a sparkling array of gorgeous people dancing and chatting, smiling back at anyone who locked eyes with him, Harry was very glad to have someone he could stick around and be totally comfortable with.

“I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” Ed greeted him in surprise, immediately offering him one of the chocolate cupcakes he was tucking into – a batch Taylor had baked, no doubt.

“Neither did I,” Harry laughed as he happily accepted the snack.

Apparently nobody except Taylor knew. She had kept it her own little secret, perhaps because anyone would’ve told her she was insane if she had said he was on the guest list. Maybe she would’ve been convinced into un-inviting him, which would’ve been a really fucking awful conversation to have. But no, she _wanted_ him here, and he fully intended on embracing it for whatever it was.

It was a while before they actually bumped into each other again. Literally – stepping backwards as she moved on from one conversation to go find herself a drink, Taylor accidentally knocked into the back of him, almost sending _his_ drink spilling out of his hand. She was giggly in her apology, her hand resting on his shoulder to steady herself. It looked like she had had a few already, yet she had no problem in asking if he wanted to come do shots with her.

She, Harry, Ed, and a couple of girls Taylor picked up on the way, had shot glasses of vodka poured for them which they all downed together. Harry wanted to catch the chance to talk to Taylor before she had a little _too_ much to drink, but he received nothing more than a joyous smile from her before she was swept away too soon upon a new song starting for them to dance to.

Taylor was fascinating to watch when she let loose. It was obvious in the way she danced freely that she didn’t give a damn what anyone else thought of her, that she was perfectly content with being herself and had no intention of changing for anyone. Her devotion to her own happiness and her self-worth was something Harry greatly admired. Her confidence in the way she handled her criticisers had shifted for the better, and there was a selfish part of him that wondered whether that meant she could now handle what people might say about _them._

She mustn’t have minded what might be published tomorrow about his appearance at her party, but that didn’t mean she still liked him the way he wanted her to. She could just see him as a friend, but he was fairly certain she didn’t give her other friends flirty eyes from across the room. It was definitely directed at him, too (he checked).

So, obviously, the most reasonable thing to do was to skirt his way over to Taylor with an offering of a cookie when Ed went to the bathroom. Taylor accepted it appreciatively, bit into it with a classic red-lipped smile. It felt a little juvenile, that kind of simple advance, but it didn’t really matter when she took him by the hand and started tugging him along.

She found them a spot on an unoccupied couch where they sat too close, their knees touching as they twisted towards each other, Harry’s arm casually draped across the back of the lounge. The close proximity gave him a resurgence of security, ridiculous considering their relationship had never been all that stable. It was more the reminder that they would always have some kind of connection, whether they acted on it or not. He was sure that if they didn’t see each other until years from now, it would still be there. There would still be that spark, and maybe that meant something much more than either of them were really willing to admit.

“Are you having a good time?” Taylor asked, a general question she actually cared about the answer to.

“Yeah,” Harry easily nodded. “You’ve got quite the party-throwing skills. Especially in the food department.”

She laughed, holding up the homemade cookie in her hand and taking another bite. “It wasn’t all me, actually. I can’t take all the credit.”

“How about the balloons?” he asked, dipping his head towards the four large balloons bobbing over by the opposite wall. In sparkly gold were two forming the number ‘27’, a red love heart hanging on either side – the centre decoration where all the action was.

“Kind of. I asked for balloons and that’s what the girls got,” she explained. “They’re cool, huh?”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed, a teasing little smirk forming on his lips as he couldn’t help from saying, “You’re getting old now, aren’t you?”

Taylor gave him a playful shove in the chest. “Way to rub it in, Mr Twenty-Two.”

“Your song’s been my anthem all year, y’know?” he grinned broadly. “I wake up every morning thinking everything will be alright if you keep me next to you.”

Taylor didn’t want to laugh. He could tell she was trying to stop herself, but the giggle burst from between her lips and she was tilting her head back in delight over his cheesy pick up.

“That was a good one,” she admitted with a charmed smile.

“I thought it was _perfect,”_ Harry quipped, deserving the eye roll he got in return.

“It’s _never enough_ with you, is it?” Taylor countered, a challenging glint in her eye he would easily accept.

“It makes me feel _alive.”_

“You _never grow up,_ do you?”

“What can I say? I won’t _act my age.”_

“You’re making me _crazier.”_

“Don’t be _mean.”_

“Just _shake it off.”_

Their stare never faltered from each other, the pair of them erupting into laughter at their own little game.

“I’ve missed you,” Taylor told him, causing his heart to speed up. He knew she wasn’t just saying that in the midst of the moment, because she wasn’t like that. She was thoughtful and honest and it brought him great joy to hear that perhaps things weren’t quite as one-sided as he had led himself to believe.

“I’m sorry I kind of… stopped talking to you for a while,” Taylor went on to apologise, her expression growing softer as she shifted towards something more serious.

Harry shook his head. “You don’t have to explain anything.”

“I know, but… It wasn’t like it was because I didn’t like you anymore, it was kind of the opposite.”

And of course, when she just dropped that bomb, they were interrupted by Gigi, who had suddenly materialised in front of them and was insisting Taylor was required for some photos. “We’ll take some later,” she promised him before she was off again.

Harry quickly found himself in a new conversation with a couple of her other friends, which was nice. He didn’t know them all that well, but that didn’t really matter.

He ran into her brother at one point, who he hadn’t seen in a long time. It had the potential to be weird – Harry knew he wouldn’t be too fond of anyone who hurt _his_ sister’s heart, but Austin was nothing but nice to him. The Swift in him was obvious.

The two of them chatted for a while, oblivious to Taylor’s watchful eye glancing at them with gratified curiosity. Family had always meant a lot to her, and seeing the pair getting along was exactly what she wanted. The tick of approval that Harry was still an okay option was extra incentive to give in to what she couldn’t seem to get off her mind.

Taylor and Harry didn’t meet again until she caught his attention when she was back to dancing. Harry and Ed had weaved their way back to each other and they were standing off to the side with new cups in their hands when Taylor locked eyes with Harry and beckoned him over with a wiggle of her finger.

“I think that was at you,” Ed observed, as if Harry hadn’t clearly figured that out himself.

“I’m a shit dancer and she knows it,” he remarked, shaking his head in reply to the blonde still looking their way.

“I don’t think she really gives a shit about that,” Ed pointed out, looking at the taller male beside him with a knowing smile. “What are you waiting for?”

“’m not dancing.”

“You will for her.”

Was it really that obvious? Harry turned his head to Ed and it occurred to him that maybe he wasn’t as subtle as he like to think he was. Then again, maybe Taylor wasn’t either.

“Has she said anything to you?” Harry had to ask.

“Not about you, no,” Ed disappointingly answered. “But I don’t think she has to.”

Looking back to where Taylor was, he discovered she was on her way over to them. All it took was the extension of her hand as she simply said “Please?” for Harry to set his near-empty cup down and give in.

While he might’ve been reluctant, Harry actually loved dancing with Taylor. It didn’t matter in the slightest that neither of them were very good – in fact, it seemed to add to the fun. They never took it seriously, just relaxed into each other and enjoyed the exuberance of dancing with somebody exciting.

In amongst others who didn’t have any inhibitions over letting loose to song after song, Taylor and Harry lost themselves in each other. It was almost like they had transported back to when things were good between them: it was easy, natural to move together. They touched and twirled and swayed; they couldn’t stop _smiling._ In the moment when it was just the two of them, it couldn’t have been more perfect.

Harry wanted to kiss her. When she put her hand on the back of his neck and danced close to him, he very well could’ve done so, but the thought of being rejected in front of _everyone_ was enough to make him control himself.

Entranced in each other, it was Taylor who spoke into his ear to shift gears. “Wanna take some pictures?” she suggested, convinced he wasn’t going to say no when she was the one asking. Harry let her lead him through to the guest room they had set up a photo booth in, a necessity in any Insta-worthy party.

“Where’d you get something like this?” Harry wondered, scanning the table of silly props assembled by the small, curtain-enclosed booth. It was quite impressive, actually.

“Event hire,” Taylor answered obviously. “I can link you to their info, if you want? Maybe you could get one for _your_ birthday, if you do anything for it.”

That sounded an awful lot like a casual hint at an invitation. He was yet to think about what he might do to celebrate his next birthday, but maybe she would feature on the guest list after all.

“That’d be cool, thanks,” Harry smiled at her, looking amused as she chose a bright pink feather boa from the table. “Are these really necessary?”

“Until you can grow one yourself,” she said as she held a moustache prop up for him, “then yes.”

Brows raised, he took the novelty from her. “Why does nobody seem to believe I can grow facial hair?”

“Probably because you’d look creepy if you had a beard,” Taylor smiled at him teasingly, giggling. “A little stubble suits you, though.”

They were lucky to have caught the booth unoccupied, the pair of them sneaking inside and pulling the curtain across for privacy. Taylor had been within many a time already, was eager to get a strip with her and Harry alone. It seemed like forever ago that they last took any pictures together; they both had past Polaroids stashed in their apartments, memories that were a little bittersweet. Neither of them would admit to the times they would reminisce over them, nor to the wistfulness that came with doing so.

They got four shots in one turn. They used it on silly poses, pulling faces and looking all round ridiculous. Taylor quickly swiped their picture strip and pressed to start again so they each had one to keep once the night was over, though deciding who got which wasn’t going to be the easiest when the second one was far more memorable.

It was Taylor’s fault, really. On their second shot she thought it wonderful to kiss him on the cheek, her hand delicately resting on the other side of his face. Harry didn’t need to fake his surprised expression, only hoped she couldn’t tell how loud his heart was thumping in his chest. When she broke from his cheek after the click of the camera, Harry turned his head to her, and in that short moment they had between photos they just stared at each other. They stared intensely and longingly until, suddenly, they weren’t staring anymore.

The third picture on the set was of the moment Harry impulsively tilted his head forward, while the fourth marked their first kiss in god knows how long. Everything was familiar – the softness of her lips, the taste of her lipstick, the way she leaned her body into it like there was no one else she would rather be close to. And yet it was madly exciting, kissing someone who shared such a strong connection regardless of everything else that had happened. Harry didn’t want to stop – _never_ wanted to stop – and it thrilled him to find she felt the same.

“Wanna see my room?” Taylor asked in a rushed breath. There was no way he could say no to those radiant baby blues of hers.

Making sure to definitely not leave their photos behind, Taylor kept close to Harry as she started leading him back out after they returned their props to the table. She was hurried in slinking them down into her bedroom, the door with a sign taped to it reading: _“No access, please!”_ (Of _course_ she would remain polite in ensuring her privacy)

Harry didn’t get much chance to _see_ her room. He spied the rose bush set down next to a dresser, the surface of which was covered in make-up and candles and a few bottles of perfume. Taylor hid their photos in a drawer for now, and she didn’t waste time waiting for him to make another move. She guided him over to her neatly made bed, sat him down and carefully climbed onto his lap, her lips easily finding his again.

It was almost like nothing had changed between them. Too often they had found themselves in this kind of position, when they were dating and when they weren’t; it was ridiculously effortless to fall back into something as exhilarating as this. Taylor’s hands settled on his face and the back of his neck, while Harry wrapped his arms around her body to hold her close, as if she might just change her mind at any moment now and run off. God, he didn’t think he could handle her taunting him like that. This was overwhelming enough as it was.

Minutes passed where they stayed eagerly connected, neither of them knowing how many. Taylor was the one who pulled them apart, only briefly, so she could run her finger along his jaw and giggle, whispering, “I’ve really missed you.” Not ‘I’ve really missed this’ or ‘I’ve really missed kissing you’ – ‘I’ve really missed _you’_. If Harry had any sense not to go through with something that was sure to leave him with only greater feelings that weren’t going to be looked after in the way they truly deserved, it was eradicated with those four words.

“I never stopped missing you,” Harry quietly confessed, immediately wanting to take it back until Taylor suddenly responded with such a passionate kiss that he realised his honesty wasn’t a bad thing after all. Maybe if he had been more open a long time ago, they wouldn’t have to be hiding right now.

The both of them were chasing something they couldn’t describe. What they needed to say right now was all in the way they touched each other, with sure hands and lustful kisses. They explored each other without going too far, reacquainting themselves with what they had once known so well. It almost felt like a dream – in his wild fantasies he imagined that something like this would happen, but he hadn’t thought it would come _true,_ not after this long apart. He couldn’t have known it was what she had been thinking too.

It startled Harry when Taylor suddenly jumped in her own fright. She pulled back, and it was only Taylor who could get away with pausing their scandalous make out session to pay attention to the cat that had decided to jump up onto the bed in search of some love.

“Hey you,” Taylor cooed down at the feline nuzzling against her knee. “Wanna say hi to Harry?”

Assuming the answer was yes, she picked up the white ball of fur, and Harry was confronted by Olivia staring at him inquisitively as Taylor playfully waved her little paw at him. He couldn’t help smiling as he reached out to pet her, her fur soft underneath his fingertips.

“I think she probably wants to go out and socialise,” Taylor predicted as they heard purring over appreciation for the affection they were offering. “I thought it would be easier to keep them in here so they don’t get in the way, y’know?”

Harry nodded, and it was then that it dawned on Taylor how unenticing she had surely just made herself.

“Aaaand I’ve just ruined the moment,” she thought aloud with a small deprecating laugh, her eyes cast down. “I never get any better at this, do I?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, his smile never fading.

“Oh come on, I just stopped kissing you so I could say hi to my cat, that’s not very sexy.”

“But it’s very _you,”_ Harry countered, “and I happen to really like you, just as you are.”

“I’ve noticed,” Taylor uttered before she could stop herself, a proper laugh leaving her lips as she glanced back up at him. “You know,” she spoke slowly, “I’ve always loved that you’re like this gorgeous, amazing, like, sex god, and yet you’ve never seemed to care that I’m… _not._ You don’t expect me to be anything other than myself. Thank you, for that.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, though he didn’t think her thanks was really necessary. He’d fallen for _her,_ not who he thought she could become. Appreciating her the way he always had seemed only natural to him.

“And just so you know, you’re quite the little sex goddess yourself,” Harry playfully added, grinning as he watched her burst into laughter again.

“You’re crazy.”

“Crazily attracted to you, yes,” he corrected her, careful not to squish the cat between them as he leaned in to kiss her again. “Need I remind you of all the fun we’ve had together?”

Taylor hummed in mock consideration. “I think I remember pretty clearly.”

“You know you can be a cheeky flirt when you want to be,” Harry smirked approvingly. “You’re being a bit of one now, what with sneaking me in here and all.”

“Do you think we’ve taken too long?”

“I don’t think so. Why?”

“Well our sneaking used to be more… _climatic.”_

With Taylor’s meaningful smirk, there was no possible way for Harry not to give in.

“We _really_ don’t have enough time for me to give you everything I’d like to.”

“Not to sound totally insane, but maybe you could stay the night?” she ludicrously suggested. “I’m pretty sure Ed’s crashing here, so you could leave with him in the morning. Not so… suspicious, that way.”

Really, Harry should’ve been smart enough to resist, knowing the consequences of an idea like that, but when she was presenting herself to him like that he couldn’t find it in him to turn her down. He would do anything – she had him wrapped around her manicured finger, tighter than either of them realised.

“You sure about that?” he had to check, making sure she wasn’t making a completely irrational spur of the moment offer she would later come to regret.

“It’s my birthday and I should be able to do whatever I want with whoever I want,” Taylor stated defiantly, shoulders pulled back in confidence.

“And you want _me?”_

_“Yes,”_ she laughed, her genuinely enthusiastic smile all the assurance he really needed. The feeling might’ve only been fleeting on her part, so he sure as hell was going to take advantage of it while he had the chance.

Olivia bounded off the bed once she was put down, wisely not sticking around once Harry and Taylor got back to kissing each other with little regard to common sense. Enthusiastic and electrifying, it didn’t take Harry long to slide his hand high up her thigh, up under the silkiness of her satin attire. Taylor whined softly into his mouth, which he would’ve usually taken as an invitation to keep going had she not suddenly pulled back from him.  

“We should wait,” she quickly, almost cruelly, decided, scrambling to climb off him almost as if she had changed her mind about this.

“Okay,” Harry replied slowly, running his fingers through his hair as he watched her smooth her dress back down.

Taylor looked back at him and sighed at his befuddled expression, a reassuring smile forming on her face. “I _promise_ it’ll be better that way. Now come on, wash the lipstick off your face and go pretend like you’re not getting lucky.”

“For someone who comes across so innocent, you’re a real fucking tease,” Harry concluded with a tiny knot in his brows, easily accepting her hand to help him up.

“That’s the whole point,” Taylor grinned at him proudly, glancing him up and down. “I know what it does to you.”

With one last kiss, Taylor dragged him into the adjoining bathroom, where Harry splashed some water on his face and made sure he was lipstick free before heading back into the party without her. It would take her a little longer to touch herself up, and they were practiced enough in the art of sneaking to know that emerging a few minutes apart was for the best, anyway.

Harry tried to remain as casual as possible, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to himself in case there was a giant ‘I kissed the birthday girl’ sign flashing above his head. Maybe not everyone would spot the trouble written on his face, but when he meandered up to Ed and Austin he should’ve known his nonchalant act wasn’t going to be quite so effective.

“Where’ve you been?” Ed asked.

“Around,” Harry answered vaguely, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders.

“Seen Taylor?”

“We took some pictures,” he said, which at least was true. “Don’t know where she is now.”

The two men looked at him, not entirely convinced, and he laughed.

“What? I don’t,” he insisted, his grin not exactly helping his case.

Taylor, however, looked near immaculate when she swanned back into the party. She didn’t give off any vibe that she had just been making out with anyone, least of all her ex, and when she glanced their way she did nothing more than stick her tongue out at her brother, which wasn’t really out of the ordinary. If anyone was going to blow their cover, it was Harry.

He might not have been in practice, but he wasn’t dumb. He didn’t hint at anything to anyone, kept his longing gazes to a minimum, stayed out of the way so he wasn’t caught in any film when she was soon presented with an elaborately decorated cake and a loud, enthusiastic round of ‘Happy Birthday’. He didn’t dance with her again, spoke to her only with his eyes when their stares occasionally collided. It was safety – though Taylor’s flirty little wink at him during a saucier song playing wasn’t quite so much.

It was a while later when people were beginning to head off that Taylor caught him again. She hunted him down when he made a trip to the bathroom, surprised him by grabbing him by the wrist on his way out.

“You haven’t told anyone you’re staying, right?” she checked quickly, an eagerness in her eyes that had Harry mesmerised.

“Course not.”

“Great, I have the perfect plan,” she giddily revealed, and as she went on to explain, he figured it was likely to work. At least, nobody was going to second guess her generosity – his acceptance of it was a little questionable, but it was a far better strategy than not coming up with any kind of story and just letting people assume what they wanted.

Their orchestrated little escapade went well. Harry did exactly what she said: approached her a few minutes after they parted, pretended that he wasn’t feeling the best and that he should head off, to which Taylor oh so kindly offered to let him have a lie down in the quiet of her bedroom. Later, once nearly all but the few who were staying over had left, she would ‘check on him’ and laugh over him ‘falling asleep’ and conclude that kicking him out would be mean so he _must_ stay over, right there in her _bedroom._

Okay, so it wasn’t a foolproof plan, but it was all they had.

Harry wasn’t actually supposed to fall asleep, either. He intended on busying himself for a while, which shouldn’t have been too hard when he had two cats in her room to keep him occupied, but with his shoes kicked off and the comfort of lying on her bed after quite the enjoyable night, it wasn’t really surprising that he drifted off. Taylor didn’t have to fake her laughter over finding him dozing with Olivia curled up on his chest; she snuck Karlie in to show her and was very thankful that she agreed that disturbing him when he looked so peaceful would’ve been mean.

Letting him sleep for a little while longer, Taylor wound down with her few friends that were left, half-heartedly making an effort to clear some things up. They were well into the early hours of the morning when they retreated to their resting places for the night, though Taylor had every intention of keeping the night going for her.

Carefully lifting Olivia off of him, Taylor woke him when she climbed on top of him and brushed her fingers over his face, whispering his name. Harry whined a little, blinked a couple of times as he adjusted to the darkness in the room and saw her shadowed face smiling down at him.

“Don’t tell me you’d rather sleep,” she spoke quietly, teasing.

“Fuck no,” Harry smirked lazily, watching as Taylor sat up and started undoing his belt. She had already taken her dress off and the sheer fact that she was sitting on him in nothing but her underwear was enough to stir him inside.

Harry fumbled with his shirt while Taylor rid him of his jeans, was left gasping when she pressed an unanticipated kiss to his inner thigh. She sunk her teeth into his flesh and grinned at the sound of his groan.

_“Fuck,”_ he breathed out, eyes wild when she moved up his body and pressed her finger to his lips.

“We’ve got to keep it quiet, okay?” she warned him. “We can do anything, but no one’s to hear.”

“We can do anything?” he repeated wondrously, a little unsure whether he was actually still asleep and this was all a dream.

_“Anything,”_ Taylor vowed, and the kiss she gave him was very much real.

It didn’t take Harry long to unclasp her bra and toss it onto the floor, his hands cupping her breasts in amazement. God, it had been ages since he had last touched her, since he had had her moaning into his mouth and rocking her hips against his. With endless possibilities of how this could pan out, Harry hadn’t a clue where to start; he wanted to do everything, wanted to touch her everywhere.

They could’ve very easily rushed right in, but with Harry rolling them over so he was in control he chose to take it slow, savouring the moment as he laid on top of her almost bare body and kissed her with everything he had. Never able to quite find the words he wanted to express what she meant to him, he found it far easier to show her, intimacy fuelled with infatuation. He kissed her like she was the only girl in the world that mattered to him, like he had never thought of kissing anyone else, like she was the only girl he had ever loved. He had been around the world and met so many people, but none of them compared to Taylor. He was afraid they never would.

The intensity of their kisses alone had Taylor completely melting underneath him. She could barely remember the last time she had been kissed like this, an almost tragic thought considering it hadn’t been all that long since she’d last been with someone else. Harry had a way with her that she had never experienced before, one she always found herself wanting to come back to.

It was crazy how similar the arguments they kept hidden away in their heads for years were, and yet neither of them had the courage to come out and say it.

Taylor was the one to move things along, trying to push his underwear down so she could reach what had been pressing up against her for a while now. They parted only briefly to free themselves of their final articles of clothing, then, with eyes locked, they moulded together in the greatest way they knew how.

The feeling of Harry sinking inside of her had Taylor whimpering involuntarily, Harry’s fingers brushing lightly over her face calmingly.

“You okay?” he whispered, watching her nod in reply. “You sure?”

“It’s been a while…” she explained softly, the darkness disguising the blush rising to her cheeks.

“I’ll take care of you,” Harry promised, something he meant much more than he let on.

Slow thrusts kept things perfectly intense. Taylor hooked her leg around his waist, guiding him deeper and revelling in how effortlessly full he made her feel. While they kept quiet, neither of them were able to resist from making soft, blissful sounds, masked often by the uniting of each other’s lips. It was the kind of sex they could only dream about, and it seemed somehow fitting they were getting it on such a special day.

Taylor’s hand gripped the blanket underneath them, Harry’s smiling against the sensitive skin of her neck as she moaned a little louder than she should’ve. Pulling back from pressing kisses to her favourite spot, he looked down at her as he rolled his hips in deliberate circles against hers. He had the pleasure of watching her come undone as their bodies moved together, offering impeccable stimulation. He swore there was nothing sexier than having her writhe and moan for him, and when her walls soon tightened and she climaxed around him, that only proved to be true when Harry quickly filled her with his release from simply knowing that she had, too.

They held onto each other for a long minute, neither of them saying anything or daring to move as they settled back down. Harry broke the stillness with a kiss, the softness of it reflecting just how they felt in that moment: heavenly, wonderful, adored.

“Happy birthday, beautiful,” Harry whispered, unaware that it was the best well-wish anyone had given her all day.

 

* * * * *

 

Midday, the two were still wrapped up in each other. Under the blankets, they laid in a tangle of limbs, the warmth of their bodies keeping each other cosy and comforted. They had by far had the least amount of sleep, not that anyone else was (hopefully) aware of that.

Making the most of the limited time they had together, they hadn’t been shy in giving each other exactly what they desired. They touched everywhere, playing together and with each other. They kissed and fucked and went down on each other, overeager to explore each other again when it had been so long since their last time. It was a hook up in the grandest sense of the phrase, and when the two of them tired themselves out they fell asleep wrapped tightly in each other’s embrace, an amorous ending to the ecstasy they’d shared.

Taylor was unsurprisingly sore when she woke. Their rough round that had become a real challenge to keep quiet would’ve been enough alone to leave her tender, and while she might not have been the most comfortable right now, she certainly had no wish to complain.

All the love bites he had left on her torso on her thighs, however, she might have something to say about when she saw them in daylight.

She woke Harry with a gentle kiss to his lips. He started to smile, eyes fluttering open when she pulled away. With messy hair and a sleepy softness to her features, Harry struggled to believe there was anything sweeter to see when he awakened. If it was solely up to him, he would wake up this way every day.

“Morning, beautiful,” he mumbled, his lazy morning voice making her smile affectionately.

“Morning, handsome,” Taylor replied with a little giggle in her tone, like this might still be a dream.

With another slow kiss, Taylor rested her hand on his cheek and sighed as Harry ran his relaxingly up and down her bare back. It was simple, soft, gave the impression that all this had been something more than impulsiveness.

“How did we end up here, Harry?” Taylor whispered, not with accusation or regret but rather a great sense of elation.

Harry’s smile turned playful as he carefully tucked her hair behind her ear. “We come back every time,” he answered simply, the pair of them sinking into giggles over his typical cheesiness.

Taylor pressed kisses to his lips as he started to sing _“We never go out of style”_ , and whether or not this was just another fleeting meeting, there was no one else either of them would rather always find themselves coming back to.


End file.
